The present invention relates to an electrical connector for use in connection with an electrical package having a relatively large number of terminals. More particularly, the present invention relates to such an electrical connector having a center aperture and a plurality of generally identical sectors surrounding the center aperture, each sector having a plurality of contacts for being brought into electrical contact with the terminals of the electrical package.
Typically, a microprocessor, controller, or other micro-electronic device is mounted or housed within an electrical package. In one typical scenario, such electrical package also includes terminals for coupling such package to a first corresponding electrical connector, where the first electrical connector mounts to a second corresponding electrical connector on a substrate. In other typical scenarios, either the first or the second electrical connector are dispensed with, and the package with the first connector mounts directly to the substrate or the package mounts directly to the second connector on the substrate. In any case, at least one electrical connector is present, and the electrical connector includes contacts corresponding to the terminals of the electrical package. As may often be the case, the microprocessor, controller, or other micro-electronic device within the package requires a relatively high number of connections to the outside world, and therefore a relatively high number of terminals are positioned on the package and a corresponding number of contacts are positioned on the at least one electrical connector.
Conventionally, an electrical connector with a relatively high number of contacts typically has such contacts arranged into a plurality of rows in a high density arrangement (0.050 inch center-spacing or smaller), where all of the rows extend in the same general direction. However, when all of the rows extend in the same general direction, and if the planar extent of the electrical connector is sufficiently large, machinery employed to insert contacts into the connector during production thereof may find it difficult to reach every location where a contact is to be inserted, particularly toward the center of the connector. Accordingly, a need exists for an electrical connector having a design that alleviates such production issues.
In the aforementioned prior art electrical connector, all of the rows typically substantially fill the planar extent of the electrical connector. However, when all of the rows substantially fill the planar extent of the electrical connector, and if sufficient thermal activity takes place during operation of the package, such thermal activity can exert un-relieved thermal stresses on the connector. As may be appreciated, such un-relieved thermal stresses can warp or even crack the connector, and repeated cycles of such un-relieved thermal stresses can act to move contacts out of electrical connection with corresponding contacts and/or terminals. Accordingly, a need exists for an electrical connector having a design that better accommodates such thermal stresses.
The aforementioned prior art electrical connector is typically constructed from a non-conductive material during an injection molding process, where the material is gated into the injection mold at at least one location. As is to be appreciated, such molding material must expand into the mold past many mold features (contact-receiving aperture definitions in the mold, in large part) and completely fill the mold to faithfully render the connector within the mold. However, the many mold features and the relatively large distances that must be traversed by the molding material raise the likelihood that unwanted voids will be formed, and/or that the molding material will solidify prior to completely filling the mold. In such a situation, the formed connector must be discarded as a failure. Accordingly, a need exists for an electrical connector having a design that is more amenable to the injection molding process.
The present invention satisfies the aforementioned need by providing an electrical connector comprising a non-conductive generally planar base defining a generally centrally located center aperture extending therethrough. The base has at least three generally identical sectors, where the sectors are circumferentially arranged around the center aperture. Each sector defines a plurality of contact-receiving apertures extending through the base in a first direction generally perpendicular to the base, where each contact-receiving aperture is for receiving a contact. The contact-receiving apertures in each sector are organized into a plurality of rows. Each row in each sector extends along the base in a second direction with regard to such center aperture.
The base is formed by providing an injection mold defining the base, where the injection mold includes a gate structure at the center aperture of the to-be-molded base. A non-conductive molding material is injected into the injection mold through the gate structure at the center aperture of the to-be-molded base, whereby the injected material is generally evenly distributed into each sector of the base. The molded base is then removed from the injection mold.
The contacts are inserted into each contact-receiving aperture by mounting the base to a platform rotatable on an axis such that the base is generally perpendicular to the axis and such that the axis is coincident with the center aperture. A contact insertion device is positioned adjacent the platform and has a field of view comprising a circumferential portion of the platform. The platform and the base mounted thereto are rotated to a first position wherein the field of view of the contact insertion device coincides with a first one of the sectors of the base, and the contact insertion device inserts a contact into each contact-receiving aperture of the first one of the sectors. Rotation and insertion are repeated for each additional sector.